An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky’s Wild Turkey Program, managed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, works to maintain healthy turkey populations through habitat management, monitoring, and responsible hunting regulations. Learn more about our program below.
Kentucky offers outstanding turkey hunting across diverse landscapes, with strong populations and well-managed seasons that provide opportunity each spring and fall. Regulations and seasons are managed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to ensure sustainable hunting and healthy turkey populations across the state.
Spring hunting focuses on calling mature gobblers during the breeding season.
Fall hunting emphasizes scouting flocks and hunting food sources
Season dates, bag limits, and equipment rules may change annually. Always review regulations as summarized from the current Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guides before hunting. Contact your Local F&W Law Enforcement Officer, or call our Info Center (1-800-858-1549) to help with unanswered questions.
When you plan your hunt. Make sure you prepare with the following:
New to turkey hunting? The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources offers step-by-step guidance on scouting, calling, equipment, safety, and preparing your harvest to help you get started with confidence.
Three easy ways to begin:
Sample Kentucky Afield Videos
How to Process a Wild Turkey - With Becky Bloomfield
Kentucky Afield - Opening Day Kentucky Spring Turkey Hunt
KDFWR Turkey Hunting - Camo and Movement
Turkey conservation in Kentucky focuses on protecting habitat, monitoring populations, and supporting sustainable hunting. The KDFWR conducts annual brood surveys to track nesting success and uses banding studies to monitor turkey survival, movement, and harvest rates. Partners such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service help fund habitat projects and assist landowners in improving conditions for turkeys across the state.
Kentucky’s Summer Turkey Brood Survey invites the public to report sightings of hens and poults during July and August. Observations submitted to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources help biologists measure nesting success, monitor population trends, and guide future turkey management decisions.
If you harvest or find a wild turkey with a silver or green metal leg band, please report it. Submitting the band number helps biologists collect important information used to manage Kentucky’s turkey population and evaluate hunting pressure.
By reporting your band, you contribute to research that estimates harvest rates, monitors turkey health, and supports sustainable management for future seasons. After submitting your band number, you’ll receive details about when and where the bird was originally banded.